Monday, February 27, 2012

Wow. I haven't blogged anything in a month. I just haven't had anything happen that worth's writing about.
But today...something did that I wanted to share.

Last Friday, my car starting making a squeaking noise. It sounded like it was coming from my driver's side front tire. It would be constant noise once I hit 50 mph but would go away when I applied the brakes.
This morning, I made an appointment at the dealership in Anoka for some diagnostic testing.
They said my front brake pad was down to 2mm (the others are at 8mm) and I needed new rotators. They also found my coolant bypass hose was leaking and a running lamp was burnt out.

The cost.....$38 for the diagnostic testing and $550 for parts and labor to fix everything. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS! My 2001 car's not even worth that much.

Up North where my parents live is a gas station/ mechanic garage that's been around for years and years. I remember when I was a kid, we would walk the mile or two from my grandparents farm to go play the jukebox and have a sub sandwich and dill potato chips here. This was back before we knew a place called Subway. It's been remodeled over the years; but they still have a short order cook there.

Getting back on topic, my sister and I have had our oil changed here a couple of times and some other car maintenance visits too. They're friendly and affordable but not always convenient because we live in the cities. I called Red's to see how much they would quote me and to see if I could get in this week on my day off.

Are you ready? Are you sitting down? $200 INCLUDING labor! That's a $350 difference.
That savings is worth the time and tank of gas to drive Up North.

2
comments:

I totally feel you here, I just had a bunch of work done on my car last week - it wasn't cheap and I probably should have called around, but at the same time I felt very comfortable with the mechanic which was very important to me too! Good luck with your repairs!